Some days ago a very dear friend gave me, to my surprise, an old analog camera: an Olympus OM10. Her mother had found it unused and forgotten in the ceiling while emptying the family house. I’m not familiar with analogue photography, but recently I heard a photographer saying he started with analogue photography by recording […]
Three iconic London bookshops
London is one of the cities I keep coming back to, let’s say once a year. Every time I’m reminded how much I love the city, its bricks, its aerial train tracks, its bacon and of course, its bookshops. I have this kind or ritual where I visit my favourite bookshops, one after the other, […]
A German Stationery Collection
My last city escape took me to Berlin where I found many nice stationery and book shops. I brought back home a selection of the best I’ve seen and here are some examples of German stationery for you, as well as a few addresses… Enjoy!
Virginia Woolf: noteworthy editions
If you like reading Viriginia Woolf’s works – novels or essays – here are several noteworthy editions of her works from nice publishing houses. You’ll see only the books I own myself, but many other editions are available. If you know about some equally fine editions, do let us know by leaving a comment! […]
Bits of Korean Stationery from Seoul
I recently spent a few days in Seoul, and the least I can say is that the stationery scene is thriving there! I couldn’t explore it all, but in a very short time I stumbled upon many nice shops and Korean brands… Here is a short selection of notebooks and other stationery items I […]
Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Harry Clarke
Usually the title Tales of Mystery and Imagination is associated with Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote these famous dark short stories, now an American literature classic. So who’s Harry Clarke then? He was an Edwardian book illustrator and artist and he did a wonderful work illustrating Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
I Was Here, a travel journal for the curious minded
I just came back form a 3-week trip in Asia and one of my travel companion was the fun travel journal I Was Here by Kate Pocrass, that a friend had offered me (thanks Elodie!). Here’s what I think about it:
Notebook: Elam for L’Atelier de la Sorcière Verte
If you happen to be visiting Lille (France), and are a paper-lover, you should definitively pay a visit to L’Atelier de la Sorcière Verte. They sell stationery items and organize paper-related workshops (bookbinding, mail art, origami, etc). The shop is full of lovely things, and set in a lively street. A must-see! When last in […]
F. Scott Fitzgerald Penguin Classics hardback editions
I’ve already talked about Penguin Classics books and how they publish gorgeous hardback classics. I could have included these books in this previous article too. But I felt they deserved a special emphasis, not because I like them best, but because this series is about one author only: Scott F. Fitzgerald.
Monday inspiration: Green (day)
Monday inspiration is back with some greenery today. Readings, notebooks, and city discoveries are on the menu!
Cloudy with a chance of cute: Noodoll notebook
Although we’re right in the middle of the summer, and no clouds are to be seen in the sky today, I’ll nevertheless introduce this super cute and cloudy notebook. I’m not usually keen on childlike designs when it comes to stationery, but I have to admit, sometimes, you can’t resist some cuteness when it takes […]
Art of the Novella series by Melville House Books
I’ve been searching for a paperback edition of Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville for a while, when recently I found it on the shelves of Hatchard’s, in London. Published by Melville House – as if it was meant to be! To my surprise, I had never heard of Melville House before (and I’ve haunting […]
Porto: pieces of stationery right from Portugal
While on a city escape in Porto, Portugal, I’ve been chasing nice bits of stationery. To my delight, I found some interesting articles and local brands. Porto is a lovely city (charming people, nice streets to stroll, lots of history and a great atmosphere), and arts & craft makers are quite active there. Spoiler: This […]
4 reasons you should switch back to analogue photography
… assuming you’re old enough to remember what it was to handle a film! If you can’t exactly grasp the difference between analogue and digital, here is a link to an interesting explanation. So, how long has it been since you’ve held an anologue camera in your hands? Way too long probably! Let’s step back […]
On White’s Books and the love of fine editions
It’s not very often that a new publishing house arises to offer modern and carefully crafted clothbound books. There are the clothbound Penguin Classics of course, but I’m talking about independent publishing here. Given the state of the book industry, who would be brave (crazy / passionate) enough to launch such a business? Well, White’s […]
Monday Mustard Inspiration
I’ve just read about Dijon (and its mustard) in Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer – which I strongly recommend if you like kind of crazy semi-autobiographical novels. So I thought I’d share a bit of mustard inspiration with you today: Chips poster by illustrator Barbara Dziadosz from Frankie Magazine Coaster from Nya Carnegiebryggeriet brewery, Stockholm […]
Say hello to Ola notebooks
Freshly back from London, I’m thrilled to share with you my latest discovery: Ola Studio, an exciting young stationery brand. Drawing its inspiration from architecture and geometry, Ola’s stationery has a big focus on patterns. With clear, modern design, bright and shiny colours, the collection is declined in carefully crafted notebooks, cards and diaries. They […]
Moo: business card printing made fun
Of all things paper, there’s this small piece of paper we often overlook, it’s the business card. Sounds boring, right? Meet Moo: this English company managed to give the business card printing business a funky twist so particular to them. I’ll be straight to the point: I love Moo.
Revolutionary Road, Vintage Waterstones Special Edition
DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Oscar-nominated movie Revolutionary Road, does it ring a bell? It all comes from a fascinating book by Richard Yates. I can’t say which one I experienced first (the book, probably), but I remember very well seeing the book in one of London’s Waterstones bookstore. Once again, I had no choice […]
Widen your musical horizon: Rough Trade Album of the Month
You’re probably heard of these monthly boxes everybody subscribes to (beauty, food, toys, whatever…) – and each month a new box is launched. Well, Rough Trade’s Album of the Month isn’t a box, but this music subscription service has been around for a while now and I’m sure it’ll still be there when all these […]